Belinda Sellari

Artist Statement

Current Project: Clouds Reflecting on The Pond
The images featured in Clouds Reflecting on The Pond were captured from 2024 to 2026. Instead of always photographing clouds in the sky, I photograph reflections of clouds on our pond. In 2024, I got serious about clouds' reflections when, through the lens, I saw a cloud reflection that resembled a shaft of light penetrating the water. This made me want to explore what I could do with reflections of clouds. The time of year and the time of day play an essential role in how the cloud reflection is photographed. The Pond changes seasonally, and every year is different. Plant life and the number of freezes vary every year. Clouds can change rapidly; wind can change the surface of The Pond continuously. I have learned from trial and error what angle to hold the camera and how to enhance it with PhotoScape X until I get the photograph I see.
Every photograph in this project is just a reflection of a cloud on the surface of The Pond. I am including a photo of The Pond to let viewers know exactly where they are looking.
Often, photographs of cloud reflections incorporate the bottom of The Pond. So, the viewer is literally looking under the water and on top of the water at the same time. The clarity of the water makes these images possible. In these reflections, I usually include something floating on the surface to remind one; this is just a reflection on the surface of a pond.
Photographs frequently give the impression a limb or a leaf is floating in a sky full of clouds. These photographs require changing my position a lot until I line up the reflection of the cloud with the plant life.
Sometimes, photographs of reflections of clouds look more like landscapes than the surface of a pond. The “landscape” reflections often include the bottom of The Pond; some include ice when the pond is frozen.
These photographs reveal how I see clouds reflecting on The Pond.